We have a family tradition of doing tashlich on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, and then taking a family photograph near whatever natural body of water we have gathered to cast away our sins with symbolic pieces of bread. The first year we did this, our oldest, Nate, was 3, and I was pregnant with…
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Parenting
Parenting
The new normal is not normal, but the kids seem all right
In some ways, the start of school this fall and the preparation leading up to it were similar to most other years: We did some school shopping, cleaned…
Parenting
First day of school — a new state, new anxieties
From the moment I woke up, this morning was different. My alarm went off at 6:45 a.m., one of the only times I’d set it since the pandemic hit. I got up…
Parenting
My favorite family dishes are an anchor in turbulent times
Cooking for my family has become one of the joys in my life. Being able to express my love for them in this way, well, for me, there’s nothing better.…
Parenting
I’m baffled by the books my kids love — and thrilled
“I was determined to be the best and fastest tree climber in the family,” my husband told my children. “So I kicked him in the head while he was standing…
Parenting
Here’s everything I haven’t done during the pandemic
I am not baking bread. I haven’t made a sourdough starter. I didn’t learn how to knit, so I haven’t knitted a sweater with a matching…
Parenting
Our national shame: Why are our schools being left to fend for themselves?
The principal of my son’s public Brooklyn elementary school isn’t getting much of a vacation this summer. Mr. Foreman is busy fielding questions from…
Parenting
Will there ever be another family summer like this one?
Will our kids reflect back on their time in quarantine and think it was all terrible because they had to be in lockdown with their parents 24/7, or will…
Mixed & Matched
Can we raise our child Jewish without a hard commitment?
Dear Dawn: I need some objective advice. My husband is Jewish but no longer feels connected to Judaism. He openly states he has no interest in meeting…